EA responds to Madden NFL 07 concerns

There have been a couple issues pop up on the Internet recently regarding the 360 version of Madden NFL 07 (Aug. 22). Two different Madden fan sites have gotten copies of the final product and each voiced specific worries with what they were given. 1Up contacted EA and got their response to the problems addressed.

The first problem:

Operation Sports claimed that Hall of Fame players started appearing on the rosters of other teams. While hardcore Madden fans don't seem to like this, that's how their inclusions is actually supposed to work. "It's working the way we intended it to," said Mr. Ortiz. "Whatever players you unlock, they are the players that will actually be available when you start the franchise mode. If you've already unlocked 10 Hall of Famers, they'll be available for players to sign... It's there for users to take advantage of." Mr. Ortiz recognized that this troubled some players, and mentioned that there is a in-game fix available, where players can save off the roster when they're booting up, and then proceeding to load it once they're in-game -- effectively eliminating the old-timers from the rosters.

Now the second:

Madden Nation says that players weren't fatiguing at all. The initial posting stated they "broke like 3 tackles and laid on the turbo... he's not even in the yellow." (Players fatigue from green to yellow to red.) We asked Mr. Ortiz about this as well. "That's actually not the case. The UI isn't registering it... You fatigue at a lower pace than in the past, but it isn't reflected in the UI. [It's] Something we're addressing and fixing right now." He explained that this fix would be delivered in the way of a patch to the game for 360 users, but didn't have a specific date as to when it would be available. "Very soon. Around the release date," he said, adding "We don't just shove the fix out there. We don't want to slide [the balance] it too far in one direction."

So, EA is aware of these issues yet they feel it is OK to just wait to release a patch? While we're glad the 360 affords publishers the luxury to update or patch their product, they shouldn't be using it as a crutch to mend broken games that appear to be nothing but rushed products. For gamers spending $60 a pop on these things, it's not exactly fair to the loyal customer base to take advantage of them like this -- especially those not lucky enough to have broadband to fix the problems.